Pros: Genre variety, track placement, great vocals and musicianship.
Cons: One song that won't stand the test of time.
The Bottom Line: Certainly give the album a shot. It's more country than most any modern-day "country" release, and deserves to be heard by more people.
noddy1's Full Review: In the County of Kings [Digipak] * by Eric Stuart ...
Eric Stuart is a singer-songwriter/voice actor based in Brooklyn, NY, and has been writing music since he was in high school. Musically, he has a diverse sound, ranging from acoustic rock [his debut album Curiosity (1995- long out of print)], electric rock music (2000's Blue, Dressed In Black), to rock with some country flavor (2003's BombShellShocked). That album would be a sign of things to come on 2007's In the County of Kings - the album's title referring to Stuart's home city of Brooklyn (Kings County). The musical style on this album is a continuation of BombShellShocked's style, only more blatantly country, and is the most country-sounding release of 2007. Stuart calls this style "concrete country" - this was also the album's working title - and it is a rather fitting name for his current style of music: The sounds of Nashville mixed in with some influence of New York/New Jersey area musicians such as Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen.
1. The Bottom Line
The album kicks off with an uptempo, fiddle-driven song, which symbolizes that this album is nothing like Eric Stuart has recorded before. A re-recording (and complete re-working) of a track originally released on promo EP Picture Perfect World in 1997, it is a fun song with a theme of declaring love to a girl, a common theme of Stuart's lyrics. It is considered to be a fan-favorite and has been a staple of Stuart's few live shows ever since its original release. There's nothing about the song that could be considered a work of genius or anything; it's a type of song that has been done many times over. It's just plain fun to listen to.
2. Blind Man
After opening the album with a rousing number, track 2 is the first ballad. "Blind Man" is one of the better songs of 2007, and the one that drew me in initially. Musically the guitars are mostly subdued here; the bass and drums are in high prominence save for an electric solo used as an instrumental bridge. The song's strong points are Stuart's vocal delivery as well as the lyrics; the repeated line "I don't need a ton of bricks to fall from the sky/A blind man could see through your lies" sets the song's tone and also ranks as one of the better lines in recent history.
3. Paint the Town Tonight
This song has two things in common with opener "The Bottom Line": It's a fun, catchy and upbeat country tune, and is also a re-recording, this time from Stuart's previous album, BombShellShocked. This version is more polished than the original, and adds some background vocals as well as an extended outro. Musically it's different from the first two songs; this one takes some of what I'm sure is Tejano influence (specifically, Tejano music star and sometimes country performer, Emilio). The song itself is another one of those too-catchy-to-resist songs, this time it's about nothing except going for a night on the town with either your girl or your friends, and possibly even getting inebriated in the process.
4. I'd Be a Millionaire
"I'd Be a Millionaire" is the album's second ballad. It is more country than "Blind Man", but is just average as far as country ballads go. Not to say it's a bad song (it's not, by any standard), it's just that the song's concept (the narrator saying he'd be a millionaire if he had a dollar for each time he did something wrong) has been done before, and done better, at that. I certainly don't fault Eric for trying; I just want to hear new concepts, as well as older ones with twists. He has shown he can do that with no problem. Just not here.
5. Is It True?
The shortest song on the album is "Is It True?", a song in the same vein as "The Bottom Line": an uptempo country-rock song, only this time the narrator is asking the girl if the rumors he read in the newspaper, about her falling in love with him, are true or not. In terms of music, the guitars are more prominent, and the bridge has a touch of harmonica, in contrast of the sister tune's prominent fiddles.
6. The Last Word
"The Last Word" is what I like to call the anti-"Bottom Line", in that, while it is another upbeat fiddle-driven song, the song is the complete opposite lyrically. This time, instead of telling the girl he's in love with her, the narrator is sly and sarcastically saying "Please don't leave 'til I'm done". After pausing for a second, he finishes the sentence with "Now I'm done!". This song could very well be compared to "Friends In Low Places" by Garth Brooks in terms of lyrical subjects, only more fun and upbeat. A song like this should not be upbeat, which shows that Stuart has himself a winner in this song.
7. State of Mind
"State of Mind" is the album's third ballad. Musically it nearly echoes Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia", though the lyrics make it a song of its own. The lyrics are very cryptic, but they seem to be about a depressed and/or confused individual. Like "Blind Man" earlier on, "State of Mind" has a line that ranks among the all-time great lyrics, in "He took a drag and then he rolled down the window/He tossed the butt into the lost and never found".
8. Shut You Up
After the depressing nature of the previous track, it's only wise to follow up with a more upbeat song. This one's pure pop-rock; the narrator is tired of listening to the girl being hard on herself, so he decides he will kiss her to make her quiet. It's certainly fun to listen to, but it's merely just average on the whole.
9. Hand-Me-Down Love
"Hand-Me-Down Love" is the album's first mid-tempo song. It's a breakup tune as with "The Last Word"; this song has lyrics that are straightforward instead of sarcastic ("It don't fit me, I don't want it/Don't you dress me/In your hand-me-down love"). It's a decent pop-rock song. It won't set the world on fire or anything, though; however, Stuart more than likely never intended to.
10. Land of What Might Have Been
Another ballad is track 10; it is also another break-up song. In it, the narrator tells his soon-to-be ex a list of things he wants to do "before we drop into the land of what might have been". Interestingly, Stuart's sister Barbara Brousal provides vocal harmonies throughout the song instead of normal backup singer Jenna Malizia. It ends up being a better ballad than "Blind Man" or the others on the album. The keyboards during the bridge even make it somehow sound more country.
11. Blind Trust
Stuart lets the world know he's influenced by the E Street Band on "Blind Trust", a sax-driven pop-rock tune with a slight country bent. Stuart even sings like a more countrified version of The Boss throughout, making the song a nice tribute of sorts to some of his heroes. The lyrics are straightforward; the male narrator telling ending each stanza "I've seen enough of your blind trust". One of the album's best songs, no question.
12. Jack and Jill
"Jack and Jill" is the album's last true rocker. Musically, it prominently features electric guitar, with heavy bass during the verses. The song tells the story of 'Bottle-Cap Jack' and 'Strawberry Jill', a pair of teenage flames who are constantly falling in and out of love. At the song's mid-point, Jill is telling Jack "I should have my head examined/To want to take you back". For the last verse, though, it seems Jill's changed her mind; she's "on the pill and thinkin' about names", so they seem to have worked things out. The song ends before anything else in the story is revealed. Hopefully they did indeed live happily ever after.
13. Bad Luck
After the seriousness of the rest of the album, track 13 is the aptly-named "Bad Luck", a straight-up novelty tune about how the narrator is always having bad luck no matter what he does. It's also straight-up country music, though it is driven not by a fiddle or steel guitars, but instead by a baritone saxophone. It's simply a fun little tune and nothing more. But it's also a bit of comic relief that is needed.
14. Too Late, Tonight, To Be Alone
Every great artist has at least one bad song. Not to say this one is actually, truly bad, but it's not a good one. There's nothing particularly memorable that stands out, and the vocal delivery sounds off. This one is a song that can be skipped without missing out on anything.
15. This Love
After the disappointment of the last song, Stuart ends the album on a very high note. "This Love" is the most sincere song released in 2007, and one that should be popular at weddings (if Eric Stuart were famous enough, anyway). The song is almost Stuart solo; he is only backed by a synth and minimally by backup vocalist Jenna Malizia and co-guitarist/producer Questar Welsh.
As a whole, the album is a decent mix of country-rock and pop. For someone who has opened concerts for the likes of Peter Frampton and the 4th incarnation of Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band (which also featured Frampton), as well as have had praise from noteworthy music veterans (Starr, Frampton, Nils Lofgren and Paul Rodgers to name a few), this album should have been Stuart's breakthrough. But of course, Nashville is currently too obsessed with the likes of the untalented Taylor Swift to notice something that's actually great. Hopefully Nashville execs go back to country's roots soon. If so, Stuart could very well be a star on radio.
Song Ratings
1. The Bottom Line (5/5); 2. Blind Man (5/5); 3. Paint the Town Tonight (5/5); 4. I'd Be a Millionaire (3/5); 5. Is It True? (4/5); 6. The Last Word (5/5); 7. State of Mind (5/5); 8. Shut You Up (2.5/5); 9. Hand-Me-Down Love (3.5/5); 10. Land of What Might Have Been (5/5); 11. Blind Trust (5/5); 12. Jack and Jill (4/5); 13. Bad Luck (5/5); 14. Too Late, Tonight, To Be Alone (1/5); 15. This Love (5/5).
Related Review: http://www.epinions.com/content_430797065860 - Eric Stuart Band - Blue, Dressed In Black (2000)
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
![In the County of Kings [Digipak] * by Eric Stuart Band](http://di1.shopping.com/images1/pi/f9/21/1e/2045057250-177x150-0-0.jpg)
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.